HOW DO WE ASSIST?
Au Pair Australia specialises in providing a cultural exchange experience based on childcare. We screen and match international live in au pairs / nannies with Australian families in need of childcare support.

All of our overseas Au Pairs and Nannies have undergone a police check and medical check to make sure they are good citizens and emotionally stable. They will have a minimum of 150 hours of baby sitting experience and need to supply a min. of 2 childcare references (often more) which are verified by our agencies. All Au Pairs have undergone an in depth interview, covering questions on areas such as maturity, responsibility and capability with children to make sure they understand the Au Pair job and all associated responsibilities. All our applicants sign an agency behaviour contract in line with the IAPA (International Au Pair Association).

Au Pair Australia only works with reputable and established overseas agencies that comply with the IAPA code of conduct and we have long standing relationships with them. We are actual people and not just a web based service, with no one to answer your questions. We also offer personal service and provide continued support for the entire duration of the placement of your Au Pair.

We understand families are busy and have many years of experience in bringing Au Pairs and families together. We will consider your requirements and lifestyle and shortlist suitable applicants for you. We will only send you files that are a likely match with your family, and are confident that our selection criteria will produce the right au pair match for your family.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE AN AU PAIR?
Au-Pair comes from the French word En pair meaning equal to, so an Au-Pair is not an employee but becomes a member of the family/household and should be treated as such. Au Pairs are on a cultural and language exchange, and therefore are always from an overseas country. The “host family” invites the Au-Pair into their house to share all facilities of the house and will have their own bedroom. In exchange, the Au-Pair will assist the family with child care and some related duties, receive an allowance and learn the local language and culture.

Hosting an overseas live in Au-Pair or Nanny has many benefits. The children are in their own environment, care can be centred around the children’s needs. Care is more flexible, for instance, many families find that around the "rush" hour of mealtime and bath time, an extra pair of hands is very helpful. It is very cost effective and can be used by families with children of all ages. Hosting an overseas Au-Pair will provide a unique opportunity for your children to learn facets of another language and culture which can be immensely rewarding.

Would you like us to introduce you to a suitable Au-Pair or Nanny? Please register here

We will introduce you to a wide variety of Au-Pairs/Nannies who we interview prior to assessing their suitability. The key types of carers we can provide are detailed below:

TYPES OF CARE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE:

AU-PAIRS :
Au Pairs are young overseas students without any formal childcare qualifications. They can be between 18 and 30 years of age, however the most common age of an Au Pair is between 19 - 21. All of our Au Pairs will have min. of 150 hours of baby sitting experience with families in their home countries. They are an “extra pair for hands” during busy periods of the day, such as early morning and afternoons/ dinner time. As Au Pairs are not qualified childcare workers/ nannies, they cannot be responsible for looking after babies under 12 months of age unsupervised for long periods of time ( eg 2/3 hours maximum, not for the entire day). Au Pairs and nannies are not to be confused with housekeepers or cleaners. The cultural exchange of an Au Pair involves helping you with childcare and light childcare related duties only. An Au Pair comes out to live with an Australian family as part of a cultural exchange and to improve their language skills. They need to be treated as a member of the family. They require a live-in arrangement with their own private room (share bathroom OK) food and accommodation included.

DEMI AU- PAIRS:
Demi Pairs (half Au Pair) as above are normally committed to language or business classes during the day (typically 8.30-14.00) and are available only in the afternoons. Most families use them for after school care. They normally work between 15 and 20 hours (maximum) a week. As they attend language courses, they do need time in the evenings to study, we recommend that Demi pairs finish at the very latest by 7.30pm, as they usually have assignments to do. Apart from cooking for the children, Demi pairs offer childcare help only.

NANNIES:
Are mostly trained childcare workers or nurses, consequently their hourly rates are higher. As we only place overseas nannies, requirements are normally the same as for our overseas Au Pairs. Generally we have more Au pairs available than qualified Nannies and Nannies are therefore, more difficult to find. All our overseas nannies require a live in arrangement and are after a cultural exchange experience.

PLACEMENT PERIOD:
The placement period of Au-Pairs and Demi pairs normally ranges from 4 to 10 months, depending on the season. We do not place beyond 10 months as most Au Pairs like to travel around Australia after being an Au Pair. The most common Au Pair placement is 6 to 8 months.

WORKING HOURS AND RATES OF PAY:
 Au-Pairs usually work 30 to 35 hours per week, although this is somewhat negotiable. Work is typically during the day from 7.30am until 9.30am and from 3.00pm to 7.00 pm. Some families with younger children will organise a combination of Au Pair and daycare and require a little less help on some days and longer hours, or even an entire day on others. One or two full days should be the maximum. a night babysitting during a weeknight is quite standard. Of course Au Pairs can work on a casual basis on a Friday or Saturday night, but it should not be an every single Saturday night arrangement. It is very important that the Au-Pair should have some free time each day and at least two continuous complete days off per week, ideally the weekend. This allows the Au-Pair time for study as well as making new friends which is important when a young person moves to a new country.

As Au Pairs are not qualified childcare workers or nannies, they cannot be responsible for looking after babies less than 12 months of age unsupervised for long periods of time (e.g. 2/3 hours maximum, not for the entire day).

Minimum payment rates offered to the Au Pair are between $6 and $8 per hour, depending on the number of children and level of responsibility. We do not place Au Pairs with families that cannot guarantee the minimum payment of $6 an hour! The most common placements are 30 hours for $200- 240 and 35 hours for $250- 280. Overseas qualified live in nanny rates are negotiable but often between $9 - $12 per hour, depending on age and experience. Qualified nannies are often happy to work up to 40 hours a week and can look after babies.

To encourage an Au Pair to choose them, some families will offer a bonus to be paid at the end of the Au Pair’s stay, on top of offering to help with the huge flight and visa cost. This is not an requirement but some families choose this option

ACCOMMODATION :
The Au-Pair is provided with their own bedroom, not necessarily their own bathroom. Amenities such as TV and audio are sometimes provided but are not a requirement. The Au-Pair should share all other areas of the house with the family. He/she is also provided with all meals as well utilities such as electricity and gas free of charge. Personal long distance phone calls are the responsibility of the Au-Pair. It is worth bearing in mind that the more comfortable the Au-Pair is in your home, the more successful the host period is likely to be.

COST:

Unlike most other agencies, registration with us is FREE. Our placement fee for an Au-pair is $500 for less than 6 months and $650 for 6 months or more. We do not charge you until you have agreed to host the Au pair into your family. Once you agree to host the Au Pair, we will charge the placement fee against your credit card. After we have received your payment, we will organise the entry visa for the Au Pair and confirm the flights

TRAVEL/AIRFARES

The cost of airfares to the host country is the responsibility of the Au-Pair, as are medical/insurance expenses. Some families will help the Au Pair with the cost of the first term of language classes or a sport as this helps the Au Pair settle in quickly but this not a requirement.

PLACEMENT PRECEDURES

1. You need to register your family profile on our website. Unlike other agencies our registration is FREE.
2. We will confirm we have received your application and will process and screen it.
3. After you have confirmed you agree to our terms and conditions, you will go on our data base.
4. Profiles are forwarded to you by email as soon as we have an applicant(s) that you might be interested in. You need to respond within 3 days.
5. You will have contact with the Au Pair you are interested in.
6. You need to let us know if you would like to make an offer to the Au Pair.
7. If the Au Pair accepts, we will send you a letter of confirmation and an agreement to be completed and signed by you.
8. Once we have your signed agreement, we will start the visa procedure and arrange flights for the Au Pair. We will now invoice you our placement Fee. Terms and conditions link
9. We will send you our hosting guide and the Au Pair will be supplied with the Au Pair handbooks and orientation pack.
10. We are available for support and any questions you may have for the entire duration of the Au Pair placement. Your 4 weeks guarantee starts from the date the Au Pair takes up residence at your home.

The average time it takes from application till the Au Pair arrives in your home is between 2 and 4 months. Au Pair availability can be seasonal. We give priority to the existing families that use our services regularly.

Do you think an Au Pair is the right solution for your family? Would you like us to introduce you to a suitable Au-Pair or Nanny? Please register here

MANAGING THE RELATIONSHIP:

Based on our experience, we would like to offer several key points of guidance to achieving a successful relationship with your Au-Pair:

Treat the Au Pair like you would like to be treated and you would like your children to be treated if they were to go on an overseas cultural exchange. Families generally expect the Au Pair to get  emotionally involved with their children "love" them, be their role model, friend or "big sister" to be creative, provide fun and stability. As a family, you should consider very carefully if you have the personality and are  willing and to do the same for your Au Pair. If you are just after childcare without too many strings attached, maybe a local live out nanny is a better solution for your family.

Be aware that coming to Australia as an Au pair is one of the most expensive choices. Worldwide, there is a shortage of Au Pairs. Australia is one of the only countries where Au Pairs have to pay fully for their own flights / insurance. (USA families offer full return airfares) Also, once they are in Australia they can earn better money engaging in backpacking type jobs. If you think you do the Au Pair a “huge “favour to live in your house and look after your children, you should reconsider. Au Pairs are living with your family because they want to. We strongly suggest that you treat them as a member of your own family. As an Australian family, you also represent Australia and are an Ambassador for future Au Pairs.

Be clear on the Au-Pair’s responsibilities and strict on her working hours. Do not be tempted to take advantage of the Au-Pair’s time, they are not “on call”.  Be patient and supportive during the early adjustment period. A compliment on what went well will often be very effective. You will need to write down a clear roster with requirements. Although Au Pairs have a reasonable level of English before they can be placed, they are from a different culture and you will have misunderstandings. You need to be willing to sort out these misunderstandings before they build up. The most common placement failures are usually a result of a build up of misunderstandings and lack of communication.

Give your Au-Pair the opportunity to join your family in most activities including on the weekends. Get to know him/ her during relaxing times. You will find that after a few weeks they settle in and make their own social arrangements with friends.

Au-Pairs are not trained child care workers and, therefore, the end responsibility for any children regardless of age will always stay with the parents. Before leaving an Au-Pair in charge of your children, you should feel absolutely confident in doing so, and they should be provided with full instructions on dealing with potential circumstances that might arise. The best way is to have them observe you on how you manage the household.

 Would you like us to introduce you to a suitable Au-Pair or Nanny?
Please register here